The F-35 deal comes as Saudi Arabia battles Yemen’s Houthi rebels and navigates the broader regional conflict involving Iran
Israel’s edge, China’s shadow: what’s really at stake in the Saudi F-35 deal
The US State Department has approved a possible $24.3 billion Foreign Military Sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, marking the kingdom’s latest major arms purchase since the start of the Iran war and a historic first for the region — no Arab country has ever operated the F-35 before. The deal, notified to Congress on Thursday, still requires lawmaker approval before it can move forward, and does not guarantee delivery or a final purchase contract.
What’s In The Package
Beyond the 48 jets, the deal includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines — 48 installed, one spare — along with secure communications equipment, precision-navigation systems, cryptographic gear, electronic-warfare support, spare parts, training systems and simulators, software, technical documentation and logistics services. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Pratt & Whitney Military Engines would serve as the principal contractors. The State Department framed the sale as strengthening a “major non-NATO ally” that it called a force for political stability in the Gulf, and said it would improve Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter threats, bolster homeland defence, and improve interoperability with US, regional and NATO forces.
The Israel Problem
Saudi Arabia has pursued F-35s for years, but the sale runs directly into a decades-old US policy commitment: preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region. Israel remains the only Middle Eastern country currently operating the jets, and Israeli officials have voiced concern over Riyadh acquiring the same technology — concerns that persist even as Washington pushes for a broader Saudi-Israel normalisation track. The State Department has insisted the sale “will not alter the military balance in the region,” a carefully chosen phrase meant to satisfy that legal and political requirement.
A Second Concern: China
A separate worry has surfaced from Washington’s own intelligence community. US analysts have reportedly flagged the possibility that China could gain indirect access to F-35 technology through its existing defence and economic partnerships with Riyadh. Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, has publicly opposed the sale on those grounds, arguing it risks putting “the crown jewels of American military technology” within reach of Beijing.
Timing: A Kingdom At War
The approval lands as Saudi Arabia fights an intensifying conflict with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have struck Saudi territory with drones and missiles even as Riyadh conducts strikes inside Yemen. It also comes amid the broader regional conflict involving Iran, with President Trump saying he plans to consult Gulf leaders on next steps while keeping the door open to a settlement with Tehran. The F-35 deal follows Trump’s November 2025 pledge to approve the sale ahead of a White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and sits within a broader $142 billion US-Saudi defence package agreed last year — described by the White House as the largest defence cooperation agreement in US history.
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